News and Notes

Ohio (3-6) battled back from a four-goal deficit at halftime to tie the game at 13 with just ten minutes to play, but New York (5-4) scored the final five goals, including a 2-pointer from Kyle Hartzell, to put the game away and record their fifth victory. JoJo Marasco had a huge night, scoring a career-high five goals, while Hartzell and Tommy Palasek added three goals each. Peter Baum led Ohio with 5 goals, but otherwise, the Lizards defense was able to keep the Machine’s dangerous scorers in check. Drew Adams recorded 16 saves in the win.

Chesapeake 18, Florida 11

The Bayhawks (3-6) played arguably their best game of the season and soundly defeated the Florida Launch (4-5) in a complete team effort last week. Joe Walters continued an outstanding week, following up his three goals in the All-Star Game with eight points (4 G, 4 A) in Saturday’s win, which earned him Warrior Offensive Player of the Week honors. The Bayhawks offense finally started clicking, and the Launch defense couldn’t seem to stop them. In addition to Walters’ big night, Matt Mackrides added six points (2 G, 1 2ptG, 3 A) of his own. At the X, Chesapeake’s Stephen Robarge won 18 of 31 face offs.

Charlotte 15, Boston 12

The Hounds (4-5) used nine 4th quarter points to defeat Boston (4-5) and move into a tie for fourth place in the league standings. Charlotte’s rookies continued to impress, as Justin Ward (2 G, 3 A) and Mike Chanenchuk (2 G, 2 A) led all Hounds scorers. On the defensive end, Ryan Flanagan was named Warrior Defensive Player of the Week after limiting Paul Rabil to just one goal. Will Manny and Stephen Berger led the Cannons with five points each, while Chris Eck won 16 of his 25 face off attempts.

Rochester 19, Denver 14

The Rattlers (6-3) proved themselves to be a serious contender with an impressive win over the Outlaws (7-2), allowing them to move to a season-best three games over .500. After scoring seven unanswered points in the first half, Rochester never trailed, thanks in part to rookie Mark Cockerton’s six goals. Dave Lawson also added six points for the Rattlers on four points and two assists. Denver’s offense was led by Drew Snider’s four goals, and defensively, Charlie Cipriano played well after replacing Jesse Schwartzman in net. Cipriano recorded 10 saves while allowing just five goals, but it was too little, too late for the Outlaws.

8: The CharlotteHounds’eight goals in the 4th quarter were the most by any team in a single quarter this season. The Hounds used those goals to propel themselves to a 15-12 victory over Boston.

36: The number of shots on goal by Rochester last week, tying the 2014 single-game record. Coincidentally, they tied the record set by New York in their Week 1 win over the Rattlers.

19: Goals scored this season by Florida rookie Kieran McArdle. He’s on pace to break the MLL all-time record for goals scored by a rookie, which was set at 30 by Kevin Huntley in 2008.

2: The Lizards have allowed just two power play goals all season, by far the best in the league. They have killed off 19 of 21, or 90.48% of their penalties. No other team has a penalty killing percentage of better than 75%.

1.000: Rattlers rookie Mark Cockerton had a perfect shooting percentage last week, taking six shots and scoring six goals. His impressive performance garnered Cascade Rookie of the Week honors.

Last time they met: Florida 11, New York 8 (June 7, 2014 in Boca Raton)

The Lizards are coming off of two strong wins, while the Launch will be arriving at Shuart Stadium on a three-game losing streak. Florida needs a win to turn their season around and remain in playoff contention, but the Lizards will have both momentum and the home crowd on their side. When these two teams met in Week 6, the Launch were in complete control of the game, allowing only one Lizard to score multiple goals: David Earl, who has since been traded to Chesapeake. Florida hasn’t won again since the victory over New York, so they’ll be looking to reclaim some of that magic and get their season back on track.

Chesapeake Bayhawks at Ohio Machine

When: Friday, July 4 @ 4:00 PM ET

Watch: CBS Sports Network

Last time they met: Ohio 15, Chesapeake 11 (May 31, 2014 in Annapolis)

Although Ohio leads the league with 119 goals scored, while Chesapeake is last with just 94 goals on the year, this game could be much closer that statistics suggest. The Machine’s inability to convert goals into wins has been somewhat baffling, and they could have their hands full if the Bayhawks play like they did last week against Florida. Many of Ohio’s scorers were shut down last week, so they’ll come into this game looking to rebound, while the arrival of Joe Walters in Chesapeake has unsurprisingly brought a noticeable elevation to the entire team’s play. Expect these two teams to be highly motivated, because the loser will fall into sole possession of last place in league standings.

Boston Cannons at Denver Outlaws

When: Friday, July 4 @ 9:00 PM ET

Watch: CBS Sports Network

Last time they met: Denver 10, Boston 9– OT (May 10, 2014 in Boston)

The Outlaws haven’t lost two consecutive games in over two years, and in front of their home crowd on July 4, which is historically the most attended game of the year, they’re almost certainly going to play at their highest level. The Cannons clearly have the ability to beat Denver– they nearly did it in Week 3, falling just short in overtime– but they’ll need their best game of the season to do so. The Cannons have three of the league’s top six scorers in Paul Rabil, Will Manny, and Kevin Buchanan, while Denver’s Eric Law and Jeremy Sieverts also sit within the top ten. However, this game will also feature two of the game’s best goalies in Jesse Schwartzman and Jordan Burke. In the matchup of strengths, pressure will lie on the defensive units to keep those scorers in check.

Rochester Rattlers at Charlotte Hounds

When: Saturday, July 5 @ 7:00 PM ET

Watch: ESPN3

Syndicated: Altitude, MSG+, Prime Ticket, SportSouth

Last time they met: Rochester 13, Charlotte 10 (May 11, 2013 in Charlotte)

Rochester silenced any remaining doubters with their victory over Denver last week, proving that their points can come from a number of different players while also holding the Outlaws to just 21 shots on goal. The addition of rookies Mark Cockerton, Miles Thompson, and Jordan Wolf to an already talented lineup has been huge for the team. Meanwhile, Charlotte is a team that continues to be on the rise, particularly after their impressive 4th quarter comeback last week against Boston. Rochester would like to continue to distance themselves from the pack in league standings, while a win over the Rattlers would be huge for Charlotte’s confidence as well as their playoff hopes.

All-Star Game Auction: There’s still time to place your bid on the signed jerseys and helmets worn by Team MLL in last week’s All-Star Game. Auctions end on July 6, so make sure you don’t miss out on this awesome opportunity to own one of these completely unique jerseys or helmets. Click here to bid on an item!

Approaching a Milestone: Boston’s Chris Eck is just twelve face offs away from his 2,000th attempt, and he’ll have a chance to reach that benchmark on Friday in Denver. Surpassing 2,000 face off attempts would put him in an elite group, as Anthony Kelly and Greg Gurenlian are the only athletes in MLL history to have taken that many face offs.

Home Field Advantage: The league’s top three teams, Denver, Rochester, and New York, are the only teams still undefeated on their home turf. Both the Outlaws and the Lizards will have the chance to defend that record this week, while Rochester is on the road.

All Tied Up: League standings are so close that there’s a possibility of a four-way tie for third place after this weekend. Regardless of Week 9’s outcome, it’s clear that the playoff picture is far from decided, and that there’s still time for any team to make a run at the postseason.

Item of the Week: If you’re an Ohio Machine fans, these custom socks are the perfect way to show your team pride on or off the field. They’re available for every team in the MLL Shop, or you can get your Ohio pair by clicking here or on the image to the right.